Birthday Week: DIY Dog String Art

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Ammo

Since I’m celebrating Birthday Week on the blog, I thought it would be fun to share a fun DIY for some dog inspired artwork! You’ll love this fun tutorial to add a little extra woof to your own home!

String Art isn’t a new concept, all you have to do is search pinterest and tons of examples will pop up. After seeing lots of fun renditions on the web I thought it would be fun to create my own design, with man’s best friend in mind!

DIY Dog String Art

Supplies:

String (I used Baker’s twine available at my shop)
Hammer
Small Brads
Scrap of Wood
Printed Text (I used “Woof” and you can download it HERE)

Step 1: Tape your printed type onto your block of wood. You can really use anything from shapes to various words and even logos.

Step 2: Nail your brads along the inner and outer edges of your text.

Step 3: Remove the paper.

Step 4: Tie your string to one of the nails and begin winding around them in every which direction. It helps if you outline each of the letters with string before filling them in.

Step 5: Continue this process for each of the letters until they are all filled in with string.

Congrats! You now have some fun dog-inspired string art!

I think it turned out pretty fantastic, and I can’t wait to come up with some more fun designs!

I can’t wait to see what fun string art you come up with! Be sure to share your String Art projects on my Facebook page!

DIY: Build Your own 2×2 Agility Weave Poles

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Ammo

You might remember that back in November I posted a tutorial on how to build your own agility weave poles with the help of my friends at the Dog Agility Shop.

Well when winter rolled around I had to pack up my poles since it was just too cold to practice outdoors. That was until my dad surprised me for Christmas with a set of homemade 2×2 Weave Poles.

DIY 2x2 Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

I’ve been using my set all winter, and I’m proud to say I can now weave, but I completely forgot to share how they were made with all of you! So better late than never – here’s my tutorial for building your own set of indoor 2×2 Weave Poles!

DIY Dog Agility 2×2 Weave Poles – Set of 6 poles

Supplies Needed:

Weave Pole Placer from the Dog Agility Shop
3/4 inch PVC Pipe (total of 228″)
Six 3/4 inch PVC caps
Six 3/4″ inch PVC Couplings
Six PVC Plugs (Slip) (must be able to fit inside the PVC Couplings)
Six Carriage Bolts 3/16″ x 1″ length
Six Hex Nuts to fit Carriage Bolts
Six Washers to Fit Carriage Bolts
Steelworks Plated Slotted Flat (90″ total in length)
PVC cutting tool
Socket Wrench (or something to tighten nuts)
Electric Drill & Drill Bits
Saw
Duct Tape

Step 1: Cut your 3/4 inch PVC pipe into 6 pieces that are 38 inches in length. Then place the PVC caps on one end of all your poles. Then you can stripe your poles with colored duct tape to make them more visible.

DIY Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

Step 2: Cut your Steelworks Plated Slotted Flats into three 36″ length pieces and six 9″ length pieces.

Step 3: Drill a hole the same size as your carriage bolts into the bottom of the PVC Plugs.

Step 4: Place the 9″ Slotted Flat pieces on opposite sides and 6 inches from either end of your 36″ length slotted flat pieces. Place your carriage bolts through from underneath to hold them together, with the PVC plugs on top. Add your washers and hex nuts to the inside of the PVC plugs and tighten to hold them together.

DIY 2x2 Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

Step 5: Slip the PVC couplings onto the bottom of your poles and then slide them into the PVC plugs that are attached to the Slotted Flat pieces.

DIY 2x2 Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

Step 6: Lay out the Weave Pole Placer as a guide as to where to place your poles (you can opt to leave it under the poles or remove it after they are placed). Your poles will work best on a carpeted surface.

DIY 2x2 Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

For a quick tutorial on how to teach your dog the weave poles using the 2×2 method check out the video HERE. You may want to find a dog agility trainer or class in your area for more detailed instructions.

If you would like to make a set of outdoor weave poles, check out my tutorial HERE.

Friday Fetch: Deal Sites for Dog Products

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Ammo

It’s no secret that I love a good deal, I mean who doesn’t? So today I decided to round up some of my favorite deal sites where you can snag some dog-gone great pet products at great prices.

Friday Fetch: Deal Sites for Dog Products // Ammo the Dachshund // Fab.com

First up is Fab.com – A curated site of everyday design products at great prices. It’s a site designed to show you some fantastically designed pet products and also allows you to share your favorite design inspirations.

Their well-designed collection of Pet Products is ever changing as new things are added every week.

You can check out the Pet Shop here, and sign-up for Fab here.

Friday Fetch: Deal Sites for Dog Products // Ammo the Dachshund // Fab.com

Next up is LeLe Pets – featuring daily deals on pet products that are up to 70% off. Most sales run for 72 hours and 1% of their annual sales is donated to the ASPCA. You can sign up for LeLe Pets here.

Friday Fetch: Deal Sites for Dog Products // Ammo the Dachshund // LeLe Pets

Friday Fetch: Deal Sites for Dog Products // Ammo the Dachshund // Joss and Main Last but not least is one of my favorites, Joss & Main. Their “pet” deals are a little less frequent, but when they do pop up it’s not to be missed. Their carefully curated events usually last around 3 days and features products up to 70% off. You can sign-up for Joss & Main here.

Friday Fetch: Deal Sites for Dog Products // Ammo the Dachshund // Joss and Main

All of these deal sites are free to sign-up for and bring the world of dogs & design right to your inbox! Happy Shopping!

DIY Weave Poles with the Dog Agility Shop

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Ammo

DIY Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

I’m at the point in my Dog Agility training that I’m going to start learning how to do weave poles. Learning to do weave poles is one of the most challenging things in Dog Agility, so mom says it’s important that we have our own set at home to practice in between classes.

So when my friends over at the Dog Agility Shop offered up a set of Spikes and Pole Placers, I knew it was time to jump right in and DIY a set of weave poles!

Building your own set of weave poles is super easy and cost effective (about $25) with the help of the Dog Agility Shop. Here’s what you’ll need…..

DIY Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

DIY Dog Agility Weave Poles

Supplies Needed:

A set of 6 or 12 Spikes from the Dog Agility Shop (I used 6 since I’m a beginner)
Weave Pole Placer from the Dog Agility Shop
3/4 inch PVC Pipe (total of 228″)
Six 3/4 inch PVC caps
PVC cutting tool
Duct Tape

Directions:

Once your Spikes and Pole Placer arrive from the Dog Agility Shop you will need to cut your 3/4 inch PVC pipe into 6 pieces that are 38 inches in length. Then place the PVC caps on one end of all your poles and attach the other end to the Spikes. Then you can stripe your poles with colored duct tape to make them more visible. Once your poles are done, lay out the pole placer, and place your poles into the ground through the grommet holes in the placer. Now you’re ready to learn weave poles!

DIY Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

Inexpensive, easy to set-up, easy to transport, and oh so much fun – these weave poles are looking great in my backyard!

DIY Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

Sadly there are no super cool photos of me weaving through these poles like a pro (yet), because I’ve only just begun my training.

DIY Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

Having these bad boys in my back yard will give me no excuse to not show up everyone in my class when it comes to the weave pole training.

DIY Dog Agility Weave Poles // Ammo the Dachshund

My classmates are gonna be sooooo jealous!

For more agility tutorials check out my post on Building your own Dog Agility Jumps.

Disclosure: I received a set of spikes and pole placer from the dog agility shop for review. However, all opinions are entirely my own.

Birthday Week: DIY Dachshund Gift Wrap

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Ammo

ammo the dachshund birthday week It’s no surprise that I belong to a family of artists. My Dad is a graphic designer, my Mom is a custom framer & artist, and my pony friends (as well as myself) are painters – so when we wrap gifts – we go all artsy fartsy! Because the presentation is everything! (well at least until you rip that thing to shreds).

Even though today is my Birthday, my mom says I’m not allowed to open any presents until tonight when Dad can watch too….what a bummer! I bet you are waiting in anticipation just like I am! So hopefully this DIY DACHSHUND GIFT WRAP TUTORIAL (aka how to make your pup’s Birthday extra special) will help hold you over until it’s time to rip open my gifts.

So here’s a little inside look at how my Mom made my Birthday presents extra special this year!

diy dachshund gift wrap

Materials Needed:

– Kraft Paper
– Carve-able Rubber Stamp Material
– Stamp Carving tools & Exacto Knife
– Rubber Stamp Pad
– Black Thin-line Sharpie
– Printer paper & Pencil
– Bone Folder (credit card will work too)

diy dachshund gift wrap

1. Using your printer paper and a pencil draw or trace the shape you would like to make into a rubber stamp. In this case my mom drew a balloon & a picture of me!

diy dachshund gift wrap

2. Transfer your pencil drawing onto the rubber stamp carving material by burnishing the back of it using your bone folder. Using a credit card would also work too. Then with an exacto knife cut your drawings out of the block.

diy dachshund gift wrap

3. Carve out your rubber stamp using your tools. You can test the stamp periodically by inking & stamping it onto a piece of scrap paper.

diy dachshund gift wrap

4. Stamp your design all over the kraft paper. Then using a thin-line sharpie connect the balloon shape to your dachshund.

ammo the dachshund free gift tags

Make sure you dress up your package extra spiffy with Baker’s Twine & Washi Tape – because gifts can never be too pretty. Add a gift tag by downloading our FREE PRINTABLE GIFT TAG. (download)

ammo the dachshund free gift tags